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ABOUT KERALA

Kerala

State of India

A houseboat near Alappuzha, Kerala

Coat of arms

Nickname(s): God's Own Country

Geography

The state is wedged between the Lakshadweep Sea and the Western Ghats. Lying between north latitudes 8°18' and 12°48' and east longitudes 74°52' and 77°22', Kerala experiences the humidequatorial tropic climate. The state has a coast of 590 km (370 mi) and the width of the state varies between 11 and 121 km (22–75 miles). Geographically, Kerala can be divided into three climatically distinct regions: the eastern highlands; rugged and cool mountainous terrain, the central mid-lands; rolling hills, and the western lowlands; coastal plains. The state is located at the extreme southern tip of the Indian subcontinent and lies near the centre of the Indiantectonic plate; hence, it is subject to comparatively low seismic and volcanic activity. Pre-Cambrian and Pleistocenegeological formations compose the bulk of Kerala's terrain. A catastrophic flood in Kerala in 1341 CE drastically modified its terrain and consequently affected its history; it also created a natural harbor for spice transport. The eastern region of Kerala consists of high mountains, gorges and deep-cut valleys immediately west of the Western Ghats' rain shadow.Forty-one of Kerala's west-flowing rivers, and three of its east-flowing ones originate in this region.The Western Ghats form a wall of mountains interrupted only near Palakkad; hence also known Palghat, where thePalakkad Gap breaks through to provide access to the rest of India. The Western Ghats rise on average to 1,500 m (4920 ft) above sea level, while the highest peaks reach around 2,500 m (8200 ft).[106] Anamudi, the highest peak in south India, is at an elevation of 2,695 metres (8,842 ft).[107] The elevations of the eastern portions of the Nilgiri Hills andPalni Hills range from 250 and 1,000 m (820 and 3300 ft).

Bharathappuzha River.

Silent Valley National Park

Siruvani Sagar Dam

Paravur Lake near Kollamcity

Anamudi fromEravikulam National Park

Vembanad, the largest lake in Kerala

Coconut palms can be found all over Kerala

A typical paddy field in Kerala

Hilly landscape in Malappuram

Kerala's western coastal belt is relatively flat to the eastern region, and is criss-crossed by a network of interconnectedbrackish canals, lakes, estuaries, and rivers known as the Kerala Backwaters. The state's largest lake Vembanad, dominates the Backwaters; it lies between Alappuzha and Kochi and is more than 200 km2 (77 sq mi) in area. Around 8% of India's waterways are found in Kerala. Kerala's forty-four rivers include the Periyar; 244 km, Bharathapuzha; 209 km,Pamba; 176 km, Chaliyar; 169 km, Kadalundipuzha; 130 km, Chalakudipuzha; 130 km, Valapattanam; 129 km and theAchankovil River; 128 km. The average length of the rivers is 64 km. Many of the rivers are small and entirely fed bymonsoon rain. As Kerala's rivers are small and lacking in delta, they are more prone to environmental effects. The rivers face problems such as sand mining and pollution.The state experiences several natural hazards like landslides, floods,lightning and droughts; the state was also affected by the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami.

Periyar River

Kadalundi River

Flora and fauna

Brahminy kite, commonly known as Krishnapparunthu in the local language of Kerala

A common lime butterfly (Papilio demoleus) in Kadavoor

Main article: Flora and fauna of Kerala

Most of the biodiversity is concentrated and protected in the Western Ghats. Out of the 4,000 flowering plantspecies 900 species are medicinal plants; 1,272 of which are endemic to Kerala and 159 threatened. Its 9,400 km2 of forests include tropical wet evergreen and semi-evergreen forests (lower and middle elevations—3,470 km2), tropical moist and dry deciduous forests (mid-elevations—4,100 km2 and 100 km2, respectively), and montane subtropical andtemperate (shola) forests (highest elevations—100 km2). Altogether, 24% of Kerala is forested. Two of the world's Ramsar Convention listed wetlands—Lake Sasthamkotta and the Vembanad-Kol wetlands—are in Kerala, as well as 1455.4 km2 of the vast Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. Subjected to extensive clearing for cultivation in the 20th century, much of the remaining forest cover is now protected from clearfelling. Eastern Kerala's windward mountains shelter tropical moist forests and tropical dry forests, which are common in the Western Ghats.

Kerala's fauna are notable for their diversity and high rates of endemism: it includes 102 species of mammals (56 of which are endemic), 476 species of birds, 202 species of freshwater fishes, 169 species of reptiles (139 of them endemic), and 89 species of amphibians (86 endemic). These are threatened by extensive habitat destruction, including soil erosion, landslides, salinisation, and resource extraction. In the forests, sonokeling, Dalbergia latifolia, anjili, mullumurikku, Erythrina, and Cassia number among the more than 1,000 species of trees in Kerala. Other plants include bamboo, wild black pepper, wild cardamom, the calamus rattan palm, and aromatic vetiver grass, Vetiveria zizanioides. Indian elephant, Bengal tiger, Indian leopard, Nilgiri tahr, common palm civet, and grizzled giant squirrel are also found in the forests.Reptiles include the king cobra, viper, python, and mugger crocodile. Kerala's birds include the Malabar trogon, the great hornbill, Kerala laughingthrush, darter and southern hill myna. In lakes, wetlands, and waterways, fish such as kadu; stinging catfish and choottachi; orange chromide—Etroplus maculatus are found.

Culture

The annual snake boat race is performed during OnamCelebrations on the Pamba River

Main article: Culture of Kerala

The culture of Kerala is composite and cosmopolitan in nature and it's an integral part ofIndian culture. It has been elaborated through centuries of contact with neighboring and overseas cultures. However, the geographical insularity of Kerala from the rest of the country has resulted in development of a distinctive lifestyle, art, architecture, language, literature and social institutions. There are around 10,000 festivals celebrated in the state. TheMalayalam calendar, a solar calendar started from 825 CE in Kerala, finds common usage in planning agricultural and religious activities.

The ongoing campaigning from March 2009 by Praveen JH et al. of the social group PETLA for the proposed Top-Level Domain of. ker for Kerala, are centered on creating an independent Internet identity for Kerala's diverse linguistic and cultural communities. They were mostly inspired by the success of the. cat domain created for websites in the Cornish or Catalan language and Cornwall (Kernow), or about their culture. The Cornish World Magazine's prior claim for this proposed TLD from 2008, is yet to be finalised and as of May 2014, the TLD remains unassigned.

Onam

Onam (Malayalam: ഓണം) is a harvest festival celebrated by the people of Kerala, India. [1] It is also the state festival of Kerala with State holidays on 4 days starting from Onam Eve (Uthradom) to the 4th Onam Day. Onam Festival falls during the Malayalam month of Chingam (Aug–Sep) and marks the commemoration of Vamana avatara of Vishnu and the subsequent homecoming of King Mahabali. Onam is reminiscent of Kerala's agrarian past, as it is considered to be a harvest festival.

The festival falls during the Malayalam month of Chingam (Aug–Sep) and marks the homecoming of the mythical King Mahabali who Malayalees consider as their King. It is one of the festivals celebrated with most number of cultural elements. Some of them are Vallam Kali, Pulikkali, Pookkalam, Onatthappan, Thumbi Thullal, Onavillu, Kazhchakkula, Onapottan,[2] Atthachamayam etc.

Temple Festivals

Kerala has a large number of Hindu temples. Many of the temples have unique traditions and most hold festivals on specific days of the year. Temple festivals usually continue for a number of days. A common characteristic of these festivals is the hoisting of a holy flag which is then brought down only on the final day of the festival. Some festivals include Poorams, the most famous of these being the Thrissur Pooram. Temples that can afford it will usually involve at least one richly caparisoned elephant as part of the festivities. The idol of the God in the temple is taken out on a procession around the country side atop this elephant. When the procession visits homes around the temple, people will usually present rice, coconuts, and other offerings to the God. Processions often include traditional music such as Panchari melam orPanchavadyam.

Dance

Kerala is home to a number of performance arts. These include five classical dance forms: Kathakali, Mohiniyattam,Koodiyattom, Thullal and Krishnanattam, originated and developed in the temple theatres during the classical period under the patronage of royal houses. Kerala natanam, Kaliyattam, Theyyam, Koothu and Padayani are other dance forms associated with the temple culture of the region. Some traditional dance forms such as Margamkali and Parichamuttukaliare popular among the Syrian Christians and Chavittu nadakom is popular among the Latin Christians, whileOppana and Duffmuttu are popular among the Muslims of the state.

Music

Development of classical music in Kerala is attributed to the contributions it received from the traditional performance arts associated with the temple culture of Kerala. Development of the indigenous classical music form, Sopana Sangeetham, illustrates the rich contribution that temple culture has made to the arts of Kerala. Carnatic music dominates Keralite traditional music. This was the result of Swathi Thirunal Rama Varma's popularisation of the genre in the 19th century.Raga-based renditions known as sopanam accompany kathakali performances. Melam; including the paandi andpanchari variants, is a more percussive style of music: it is performed at Kshetram-centered festivals using thechenda. Panchavadyam is a different form of percussion ensemble, in which artists use five types of percussion instrument. Kerala's visual arts range from traditional murals to the works of Raja Ravi Varma, the state's most renowned painter. Most of the castes and communities in Kerala have rich collections of folk songs and ballads associated with a variety of themes; Vadakkan Pattukal (Northern Ballads), Thekkan pattukal (Southern Ballads), Vanchi pattukal (Boat Songs), Mappila Pattukal (Muslim songs) and Pallipattukal (Church songs) are a few of them.

Cinema

Music DirectorParavur G.Devarajan

Malayalam films carved a niche for themselves in the Indian film industry with the presentation of social themes. Directors from Kerala, like Adoor Gopalakrishnan, John Abraham, P. Padmarajan, G. Aravindan and Shaji N Karun have made a considerable contribution to the Indian parallel cinema. Kerala has also given birth to numerous actors, such as Satyan, Prem Nazir, Jayan, Adoor Bhasi,Bharath Gopi,Mammootty, Mohanlal, Suresh Gopi,Sreenivasan,Jayaram, Murali, Dileep, Oduvil Unnikrishnan, Thilakan, Jagathy Sreekumar and Nedumudi Venu. Late Malayalam actor Prem Nazir holds the world record for having acted as the protagonist of over 720 movies. Since the 1980s, actors Mammootty and Mohanlal have dominated the movie industry; Mammootty has won three National Awards for best actor while Mohanlal has two to his credit. Malayalam Cinema has produced a few more notable personalities such as K.J. Yesudas, K.S. Chitra, Vayalar Rama Varma, M.T. Vasudevan Nair, and O.N.V. Kurup, the last two mentioned being recipients of Jnanpith award, the highest literary award in India.

Cuisine

Onam Sadya

Kerala cuisine has a multitude of both vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes prepared using fish, poultry and meat. Culinary spices have been cultivated in Kerala for millennia and they are characteristic of its cuisine. Rice is a dominant staple that is eaten at all times of day. Breakfast dishes are frequently based on the rice preparations idli, puttu, Idiyappam, or pulse-based vada or tapioca.These may be accompanied by chutney, kadala, payasam, payar pappadam,Appam, chicken curry, beef fry, egg masala and fish curry. Lunch dishes includerice and curry along with rasam, pulisherry and sambar. Sadhya is a vegetarian meal, that is served on a banana leaf and followed with a cup of payasam.Popular snacks include banana chips, yam crisps, tapioca chips, unniyappam and kuzhalappam Sea food specialities include karimeen, prawn, shrimp and other crustacean dishes. Kerala is one of the few places in India where there is no communal distinction between the different food types. People of all religions share the same vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes.

Tourism

Munnar, a hill station and a hamletin Kerala

Its culture and traditions, coupled with its varied demographics, have made Kerala one of the most popular tourist destinations in India. National Geographic's Travellermagazine names Kerala as one of the "ten paradises of the world" and "50 must see destinations of a lifetime". Travel and Leisure names Kerala as "One of the 100 great trips for the 21st century". In 2012, it overtook Taj Mahal to be the number one travel destination in Google's search trends for India.Kerala's beaches, backwaters, mountain ranges and wildlife sanctuaries are the major attractions for both domestic and international tourists. The city of Kochi ranks first in the total number of international and domestic tourists in Kerala.

An estuary in Paravur, Kollam

Until the early 1980s, Kerala was a relatively unknown destination to other states of the country.In 1986 the government of Kerala declared tourism as an industry and it was the first state in India to do so.Marketing campaigns launched by the Kerala Tourism Development Corporation, the government agency that oversees tourism prospects of the state, resulted in the growth of the tourism industry. Many advertisements branded Kerala with a catchy tagline Kerala, God's Own Country. Today, Kerala tourism is a global brand and regarded as one of the destinations with highest recall. In 2006, Kerala attracted 8.5 million tourist arrivals, an increase of 23.68% over the previous year, making the state one of the fastest-growing destinations in the world. In 2011, tourist inflow to Kerala crossed the 10-million mark.

Varkala beach

Ayurvedic tourism became very popular since the 1990s, and private agencies have played a notable role in tandem with the initiatives of Tourism Department.Kerala is known for its ecotourism initiatives and in this segment it promotes mountaineering, trekking and bird-watching programmes in the Western Ghats as the major products. As of 2005, the state's tourism industry was a major contributor to the state's economy, which is currently growing at a rate of 13.31%. The revenue from tourism increased five-fold between 2001 and 2011 and crossed the 190 billion mark in 2011. Moreover, the industry provides employment opportunity to approximately 1.2 million people.

The stone sculpture of Kuruvan and Kuruvati at Ramakkalmedu in Kerala

Asia's largest and World's third largest Naval Academy-Ezhimala Naval Academy-at Kannur is in Kerala. Idukki arch dam-World's second and Asia's first arch dam is in Kerala. The most popular tourist attractions in the state are beaches, backwaters and hill stations. Major beaches are at Kovalam, Varkala, Fort Kochi, Cherai,Payyambalam, Kappad, Muzhappilangad (South India's only drive-in beach) andBekal. Popular hill stations are at Munnar, Wayanad, Wagamon, Peermade,Paithalmala, Nelliampathi and Ponmudi. Kerala's ecotourism destinations include 12 wildlife sanctuaries and two national parks: Periyar Tiger Reserve, Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary, Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary, Thattekad Bird Sanctuary, Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary, Muthanga Wildlife Sanctuary, Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary,Eravikulam National Park, and Silent Valley National Park are the most popular among them. The "backwaters" are an extensive network of interlocking rivers (41 west-flowing rivers), lakes, and canals that center around Alleppey, Kumarakom and Punnamada (where the annual Nehru Trophy Boat Race is held in August).Padmanabhapuram Palace and the Mattancherry Palace are two notable heritage sites. According to a survey conducted among foreign tourists, Elephants, fireworks display and huge crowd are the major attractions of Thrissur Pooram. Nemmara Vela is also famous for the fireworks.